As astronauts and
cosmonauts have adapted to home life on the International Space Station,
they have found amateur radio, often referred to as ham radio, and its
electronic connection to life here on Earth to be a constant companion.

During a spacewalk
planned for January 14, the crew will install an antenna system that
ultimately will enable a key facet of the ham radio station to move
into much more comfortable and convenient surroundings inside the station's
living quarters.

Since November
2000 amateur radio equipment has been used by Expedition astronauts
and cosmonauts to talk to hundreds of kids in schools around the world,
as well as to friends, family and others on Earth.

During the spacewalk,
Expedition Four Commander Yuri Onufrienko and Flight Engineer Carl Waltz
will venture outside the station and install the first of four antennas
built by the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS)
team.

"The installation
of this first antenna on the outside of Zvezda will allow the crew to
set up ham radio equipment in their living quarters," said Frank
Bauer, chief of the Guidance, Navigation and Control Center at NASA's
Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. "The Zarya location
worked well, but this new setup is much more comfortable and convenient
and should allow for more contact between the crew and amateur radio
operators and schools on Earth."

The Russians designed
Zvezda with four special ports for installation of antennas that serve
two functions: amateur radio and a Russian Extravehicular Activity (EVA)
-- or spacewalk --television system. The antenna will support Russian
video transmission during Russian spacewalks, and during normal operations
will support amateur radio activities. The other three antennas will
be installed later this year.

Like the space
station itself, these new antennas are the result of an international
team effort. The Italian partners provided one portion, the Russians
designed the system and provided the EVA handling and attachment hardware,
and NASA performed the assembly and tests to qualify the units for use
in space.

In 1996, delegates
from eight nations involved in the space station project, representing
major national radio organizations and The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation
(AMSAT), signed an agreement forming ARISS to design, build and operate
amateur radio equipment.

In the United States,
the American Radio Relay League and AMSAT provide leadership and consultation.
They donate and build hardware and make sure safety and qualification
tests are successfully completed.

"Astronauts
and cosmonauts are ardent supporters of educational outreach contacts
with schools," said Bauer, who in addition to his NASA duties serves
as vice president for AMSAT's human space flight division. "They
have made contacts with hundreds of school children at more than 40
schools around the world."

In the future,
ARISS hopes to fly a slow-scan television system on the International
Space Station.

More information
about amateur radio on the space station is available at: